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By Adedapo Adesanya
The federal authorities has introduced that it’ll re-open each the Eko and Apongbon Bridges to highway customers forward of schedule by midnight of July 9, 2023, six days sooner than initially deliberate.
The Director for Highways, Bridges and Designs within the Federal Ministry of Works, Mr Omotayo Awosanya, confirmed this whereas main high engineers from the Federal workforce and Lagos State on an inspection tour of the bridges.
In response to him, that is to alleviate the struggling of highway customers who’ve needed to endure commuting stress because of the closure of the infrastructures.
Each Apongbon and Eko Bridges have been razed by hearth brought on by human actions in 2022.
Apongbon Bridge was affected by hearth in March 2022, and efforts for its December completion have been stalled by one other hearth that affected the Ijora Olopa part of the Eko Bridge on November 4.
Then again, the Ijora Olopa part of Marine Bridge broken by vandals was shut on Might 17, 2023, for security of the general public.
The workforce earlier had a closed-door assembly with Buildwell Vegetation and Gear Industries Restricted, contractors on the mission, at their building yard in Costain.
Recall that Enterprise Put up had reported that the federal authorities had earlier set July 15 completion deadline for the bridges.
Upon inspection of the Apongbon Bridge, each up and beneath, and the Ijora-Olopa part of the Eko Bridge by the joint workforce, Mr Awosanya mentioned the date evaluate was borne out of the necessity to relieve stress commuters have undergone for nearly a yr for the reason that hearth gutted the Apongbon part and later Ijora Olopa portion.
“At precisely midnight on Sunday, July 9, the bridges can be re-opened in order that commuters may have clean passage on Monday morning of July 10.”
He mentioned that when the bridges are re-opened, there can be intermittent quick closures to proceed repairs.
He mentioned an current contract for the rehabilitation of the complete Eko Bridge had reached 50 per cent completion.
The director added {that a} complete of 150 bearings had been changed, with an extra 150 to be put in in subsequent rehabilitation works.
He mentioned full-scale rehabilitation would proceed on different sections of the Eko Bridge, because the contract is supposed to final three years.
“We’ve come right here to induce the contractor to cut back 5 days out of the fifteenth of July; we at the moment are going to open the bridge on the ninth at 12.00 midnight.
“And a minute after 12.00 a.m on the ninth, the bridge can be opened for site visitors on the tenth.
“That is because of shut collaboration between the federal authorities and Lagos State Authorities as a result of we’re conscious of the stress the closure of this bridge has triggered to Lagosians, and we’ve got put stress on the contractor to open the bridge on Monday for site visitors.
“It will scale back the stress presently on different bridges connecting the island and Victoria Island,” he mentioned.
He warned that the Federal Authorities would evacuate all unlawful squatters beneath all Lagos Bridges, inflicting injury to the infrastructure.
He famous that the collaboration of the federal and state governments would assist to realize the eviction of the squatters beneath the Apongbon and Ijora bridges, in addition to different bridges.
The Everlasting Secretary Workplace of Infrastructure in Lagos State, Mr Olufemi Daramola, expressed satisfaction with the extent of labor, assuring residents of a greater motoring expertise on the axis after the re-opening of each bridges.
Mr Daramola mentioned with what’s on the bottom, “ninth of July may be very sensible”, assuring that preparations have been at a excessive degree in the direction of the safety of all bridges.
On her half, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mrs Olukorede Kesha, appreciated the Lagos public for his or her endurance whereas the repairs of each bridges lasted.
Mrs Kesha appealed to residents to be vigilant and report illegalities and vandalism, including that they need to take possession of all infrastructure to forestall the wastage of scarce sources that go into repairs.
The joint workforce from the Federal and Lagos State governments additionally inspected the Ijora Olopa part of the Marine Bridge, scheduled for completion in September 2023.
Through the inspection, Mrs Kesha assured that demolition had been accomplished on all of the 5 panels destroyed by vandals, including that casting of concrete was set to start.
The supply date for Apongbon Bridge was prolonged to Might 2023 as a result of some supplies for its repairs have been used to begin the emergency restore of the Ijora Olopa part.
The federal government later set one other deadline for July 15 which was reviewed downward to July 9.
The 4.1km Eko Bridge hyperlinks Lagos Island with Mainland. It instantly hyperlinks to Apongbon on the Island facet.
Eko Bridge has been present process phased rehabilitation, however the contract for its complete upkeep was awarded in February 2022 and is predicted to increase to 2026.
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